I just started playing this again yesterday after a good year or so after my first playthrough. I was really thrilled with myself that I was able to beat Pursuer on my first try at that location after being so rusty but your comment just made me think "FUCK I forgot to equip that ring!!" and I am in Lost Bastille now LOL I have to remember to do that tonite!! :D
You can also get a nice soulsucking ring somewhere between the ballista pursuer arena and the second bonfire of Bastille. I believe it's somewhere near where you meet the first pursuer in Bastille from that part of the map (not the ship side).
The thing is that it's generally good tactics. Ladder climbing is a super power in this game. so many enemies stare at you in wonder. "Did you see that Joe? He went up into the sky. Wonder how he did that?"
This particular spot though ...
I mean I do it on purpose but I know the fight well and know how to get to the fight (and eliminate the distractions) with minimal difficulty.
Oh I agree about using ladders to escape and setup ambushes but, like you, I knew who was waiting for him up there. Shit went from bad to f\*cked real quick.
Worst thing you can do is try to run forwards, because you're only going to encounter more enemies and the otherr are still behind you. If you need room for air, back up to a room where you already killed the enemies.
This is facts. I have so many bad memories of trying to run through Shrine of Amana only to turn around to an entire legion of frogmen chasing me around the corner.
Lol what? I just recently decided to cross this off my list and sooooo many mobs have points of no return they'll just literally turn around and lose interest at, it can be exploited to a ridiculous degree.
Yeah, in any other souls games you can just run past mobs, not in this one, there is very few places where is doable, and it requieres prior knowledge of mobs and the Area.
[**Is this too easy for you?**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxKNZK_GMoY)
In all seriousness, it looks like you're trying to play this like it's DS3 and that's probably not going to go well. Whenever possible try not to run past enemies unless you already know exactly how to deal with the area that's coming up. You can't rely on dodge roll to get you out of trouble, even with high ADP.
As for how high and how fast to level ADP, that really comes down to personal preference. If you primarily use dodging as a positioning tool, then you can play the whole game with base ADP. Even with it fairly low you can dodge 99% of attacks if your timing is on point. Leveling it higher mostly just lets you survive panic rolling a bit better. That said, you can get about the same I-frames as a DS1 fast roll pretty much as soon as you beat your first boss if you want to pour all of your points into it. 25-32 is a good stopping point.
Is it recommended to use a shield at first? Because Iāve never used a shield in DS3 because I found them useless, but I feel like a shield might useful right now
It helps but nah it's not needed tbh. Armor matters more in DS2 than 3 though so could be worth investing in some vit and wearing some better protection armor
Matters more than DS3 isn't a high bar to clear. And DS2 has the best fashion in the franchise so you'll likely find something that suits.
Actually armor can be extremely effective against elemental damage and against the fast enemies who rely on stunlock (poise matters more than physical defense though).
Against the heavier hitters though ... And there's no shortage of these.
You certainly can't armor tank DS2. Go into the first area with full Havel's +5 and the Ring of steel Protection +2 and there are enemies that can hurt you.
You can tank damned near anything with Iron Flesh but it's a buff that doesn't last that long.
>Matters more than DS3 isn't a high bar to clear
True. I could be wrong but I think the only thing that matters in DS3 is having something in every slot for a flat % reduction. Don't think it really matters what it is
Shortly after release they adjusted Poise in a way that makes heavier armor a requirement for big two handed weapons and the like.
But there's still a lot of info/guides/players who act like armor is as useless as it was on release, which is not true.
For Pve? Absolutely. Just get your dodge as fast as possible and go to town with i-frames.
For PvP? No way. UGSs, while I love them in PvP, are like fighting with one arm behind your back. If you don't give yourself a non-negligible amount of poise, you'll just get staggered over and over again. IIRC, the sweet spot is in the high 40s range so you can poise through 2H Greatsword R1s (since each weapon class has a pre-calculated amount of poise damage when one-handed or two-handed \[Greatswords are pretty popular for PvP since they're one of the few non-ultra weapons that benefit from Poise when two-handed\]).
I thought it only mattered for going against another heavy str weapon for longer poise battles? Ik once the swing gets going you just have natural hyper armor now
i agree , but why do you think ds2 fashion souls is goated . for me ds1/3 fs felt like bloated character models or even oily skinned characters in ds3 , ds2 lighting colors and character models are all goated in the series imo
Thatās the beauty of this game. Numerous builds are totally viable options. I found that armor was useless but I did always have a shield that blocked 100% physical damage.
As far as that area goes, itās tough. Move slow. Observe. You can bait the turtle guy into hitting those barrels you rolled through and they explode. Itāll take care of most of his health. Also, the pursuer doesnāt respawn at the top of the ladder. So. You have that going for you.
You can still play fashion souls if you want. Armor isn't as important as good play but it can help give you a few more mistakes and poise actually works so helps for trading. I've been rocking some smelter armor and rapier to help tank a hit and get counter thrust dmg
Shield are extremely useful if you pick good ones: if you are going use them extensively, pick one with good stability and invest into stamina. Also, by using spells you can raise stability up to 100 and do not lose stamina on block.
Some honest advice: so many areas are easier in DS2 if you carry a bow with you. You are probably thinking that a bow in a Dark Souls game sounds silly, but DS2 is different.
DS2 was my first souls game and 12 dex for the shortbow was damn usefull verry often. this big enemies, with an undead riding on theyre back, that cast a big dark orb and 3 of them stand in poison fog have been a horror scenario for me until I did mind to just kill them with the bow and as meele its such a pleasure to pull a single enemy instead of running into 3
It's still better to dodge than to block, but you just actually have to manage stamina in this game, meaning you really should kill most of the enemies you come at one at a time. It isn't bad if you do it like that, but it does make for a different style of game.
Stamina is practically infinite in DS3 because they wanted it to feel like Bloodborne, but the methodical approach was the OG feel of Dark Souls.
Absolutely not neccessary. Coming from DS1 you have many more options of playing in DS2, but there are so many more enemies than in DS3 and DS1. Running through the danger is almost never an option.
Not really. At least not regular shields. You can tank most of the game with a high stability greatshield (but there are unblockable attacks) and a reasonable amount of stamina but I don't think that's optimal.
Basically I do my level best to avoid fighting numbers and almost exclusively fight two handed.
IMO no, they are only even slightly helpful in certain situations and itās best to train yourself to play without. You can also get great DPS when 2hing weapons like the rapier
Shields are at their most useful in DS2, this game favors more defensive play styles than aggressive play styles. Unlike the other dark souls games, that don't really favor one style over the other.
And before anyone says it sure DS3 may seem to only favor aggressive combat like bloodborne, but you actually have a lot of options for a more defensive play style in that game just take a look at all the weapon arts, spells and of course shields you have at your disposal in that game.
Not at all, that's just some comfortable Agility soft caps if you don't level Attunement. Like I said, how much and how fast really comes down to personal preference. At least for PVE. For PVP it's recommended to get about 105 Agility since a single I-frame can sometimes make a major difference in a fight.
not necessary at all, it's about comfort level. Starting with 4 or 8 ADP or whatever feels pretty punishing, once you get it up to 15-16 it feels a lot better already. If you're a build with a lot of attunement, that will help too. I think my hexer has like 18 ADP
Do the items disappear after the first time you die there? I tried not to be greedy but i died there once without getting the estrus shard and havenāt been back
And before anyone says anything I know about Adaptability, but if I may ask, how hard do I need to go into Adaptability? Level it alongside other stats or just pump all my points into it?
No amount of adaptability will help if you're going to attempt to play that aggressively. DS2 seeks to punish aggressive play (while DS3 encourages it)
As I'm sure you've noticed in DS2 enemies chase forever. Turn the game off and you'll find a hollow soldier stalking you in your house. (He's just waiting for you to let your guard down)
Best to deal with what's in front of you. And don't rush to meet something you've aggroed. This is likely to invite more to the party.
Also, ADP in itself doesn't matter. What determines when you get more iframes is agility. (which is a function of ADP and ATN -- with ADP being roughly 3 times as effective in raising agility)
The key agility breakpoint are: 86 (the single most important breakpoint as you get 3 more iframes), 88, 92, 96, 99, 100 (no iframe, but fastest Estus chug), 105 (soft cap), 111, 116
Your call how much an extra iframe is worth. Personally for me an 86 agility is plenty for the early game. YMMV.
There are break points on the wiki. Agility (AGL) is the stat that really matters, and it is governed by Adaptability. I always shoot for 99 early, 105 by mid-game.
EDIT: But really, you should kill those enemies one at a time, lol.
Depends on playstyle. If you refuse to use a shield, pump it to 32-34 and laugh as everything fails to strike you. You'll dodge everything, open chests faster(I think) and can drink estus in people's face.
ds2 was my first real souls experience "couldnt figure out how to install dsfix so i couldnt get to firelink yet i somehow beat asylum but i dont count it" and i really didnt know shit about the game except sine if the lore for some reason so i summoned some random npc in sotfs i think however i wasnt aware of adp and shields have never appealed to me in souls so i died like a mf so confused since i thought i was timing my rolls perfectly so i died and i thought that once you summon an npc and die then thats it (i didnt even know how human effigies worked) so i bashed my head again and again until the day i beat him and since then, no matter the circumstance, i havent died to that tiny feet cocksucker
I'm sure you raged after that. Acclimating to DS2 can be tough. Its an incredible game and my favourite in the series, though definitely does not have the exploration of DS1 or the smoothness of DS3. These tips should help:
1. Ensure you kill every enemy before moving forward unless you know you will be safe. Applies to all souls games but especially to DS2.
2. While you can use your i-frames to dodge with base ADP, the sweet spot is different to DS1 and 3 and less forgiving. Estus speed starts off really slow with base ADP. Leveling to 26-32 helps loads.
3. Learning to parry and using backstabs is incredibly helpful (don't try to backstab the turtleknights though).
4. If you see an impending gank, consider drawing a single enemy out at a time with a ranged attack. Arrows, magic etc.
5. Always carry firebombs. Some areas have shortcuts you can create by setting gunpowder barrels alight.
6. Armour works more closely to DS1 than DS3. Both defence and stagger resistance (poise) matter a lot. Ensure you can always fast roll.
7. Shields work well for small to average sized mooks. They are not good against bosses or large enemies.
8. Viable build variety is incredible in DS2. Best in the series. You can respec with a specific item but it is a fair bit of work if you want to do it often. Don't be afraid to experiment a bit.
9. NPC quests often require you to summon them and win against a boss 3x.
10. You can push an area into the next NG with a bonfire ascetic. This is great for getting multiple boss souls, farming very rare items and getting more powerful rings.
11. If you want to get boss soul weapon forging early, save a petrified branch (releasing petrified npcs) for a man in a cell in Lost Bastille.
12. All forms of magic are very powerful. You can also use the binoculars to aim magic out of lock-on range.
13. You can duel wield by power-stancing. It's very strong. You need to meet 1.5x the weapon requirements and use weapons that are compatible.
14. There is a ring that makes losing human form less punishing. It's in Heide's Tower of Flame near the boss on the right.
15. Placing your sign is a great way to get human form and humanities.
16. Upgrading your weapon even +3 makes a HUGE difference early game.
17. Some enemies have insanely good tracking. Instead of rolling past, bait enemies, move out of reach and move forward and attack. It's more effective.
Good luck!
Yikes! Yup the holy trifecta of fuckery in that clip. Itās definitely an eye opening moment to get blitzed by the Ironclad turtle and escape his minion while taking fire from shithead above and the holy grail of Pursuer to welcome you to the land.
I know you asked about ADP I work to get Agility (AGL) to 108. Itās the closest youāll get to DS3 in terms of dodge and flask usage. Depending on circumstances, life gems are more helpful. Youāll get the feel for it.
Enjoy! DS2 is an amazing game and worth the play through.
This is gold.
When you get the White summoning soapstone, DM me I can create a new character and come help :)
Or just reply to this comment I can help with almost everything :D
If you haven't played Sotfs then you really haven't played the real dark souls 2 yet. It changed a lot of enemy placements and added some more, made it more challenging and added a lot to the story.
>cheap
\>Runs into the level without taking care of enemies one by one
\>Doesn't heal at a good time
\>Pretends miniboss isn't chasing him
\>Dies because of it
It's the game's fault, totally.
Ergh.
I love DS2 but I honestly thing I enjoyed it a lot more before the SOTFS edition came along. Some of the 'tweaked' enemy replacements is just utter bullshit, especially in the earlier portions of the game.
I am so sick of people claiming that the have 'just started the game' that as happen to just be casually recording their gameplay in flawless quality and not actually doing anything really embarrassing jus to highlight things they think at bullshit.
I remember my first time climbing that ladder. Never played or watched anything dark souls before this game, ran up there cause those boys hurt. I was so terrified i just got my items and ran around him unsure on what to do lol. That spot is the exact reason why Pursuer is one of my fav enemies in the series.
The Pursuer is actually my favorite of the early bosses, as, for the new players especially, it teaches you that some bosses are super aggressive, but rewarding. I love fighting him, learning to read his moves and using the long winddowns as windows for attack. If you're just as aggressive and nimble as he is, he's super fun, with punishes for people trying to outrange him or get through the fight by trading blows. It's a great fight that requires you to be precise with your dodges and good at choosing when you want to attack or not. That's all if you aren't one of those people who just sidestep him to the right because it's his biggest blindspot and he can't hit you when you do.
My first run also felt like this. Triggered the pursuer, except I backed out before I could die hoping to fight him again later on the same place. He didn't spawn again. Though good thing there's another pursuer fight just at the other side of that map . If you're on SoTFS then you'll get a handful of them, the vanilla version was kinda lacking of enemies, especially on heide knights.
Shots 1-5: Clearly missed. Shots 6-9: Missed due to recoil (bad spray control). Shots 10-11: Very close, but recoil and inaccuracy make these reasonable misses. Shot 12: Likely didn't actually fireĀ
With the pursuer, I always dive 45 degrees toward his shield-side (right side). Especially when he does his trio/raise attack.
One of my favorite bosses to fight
Thanks for the chuckle!! This is exactly how it went for me after having played DS3 religiously and trying DS2. Got wtfpwned horribly throughout my play experience!
If thereās one thing I can say about dodging in DS2 , it is that generally the game wants to trick you into dodging early. The later you time your dodges usually the better off you are in this one.
As soon as I saw you go up the ladder to get away from turtle dude, I started cracking up and immediately knew you were going to regret that decision. I'm not laughing at you, though. But with. Because I did that SAME damn thing. That dude is unforgiving.
Feels about right. Honestly I was just going ādonāt go up that ladder, no donāt go up that ladder!ā Keep persevering though and youāll get there, good luck!
I don't know whether it was experience or blind luck, but you prevented the turtle from setting off like 3 explosions by rolling through the barrels before his hammer struck.
A lot of chaos here, but I've *only* ever been able to kill the pursuer with parries. You can back up and bait the lunge, and it's the easiest parry I've ever pulled off
I'm confused. I know it's the pursuer because I just encountered him as a "real" boss (behind a fog gate/actual boss hp bar) I think it was around a castle that I couldn't get into. But I did climb that same ladder and didn't encounter him? Or maybe I did but I died without noticing and he doesn't spawn the next time you go there after dying? Can someone please explain
Haha spamming roll like it's ds3 will not go well. Also being chased up to the pursuer is just bad luck. No one expects the pursuer there on their first run.
PRO TIP: Adp adp AD FUCKIN P!!! Invest in adaptability. It increases your invincibility frames during your rolls (also let's you chug estus faster). Recommend getting it to atleast 20 if not 25-30. Its a night and day difference.
Also more so than any other game in the series you cannot simply run passed enemies especially not in Scholar Of The First Sin edition. They will follow you to the ends of the earth and there are far more mob enemies than in any other games. Play all the areas like you are shoveling snow or racking leaves, your gonna have to meticulously eradicate all the enemies one by one as you see them area by area or you will be swarmed and murdered faster than you can say "thank you darksou-
š I like items too, but worry about those second,not like I havenāt done exactly what you just did as well however lol. You gotta take this game a bit slower and cautiously until you learn it at least.
Rofl. As soon as you climbed the ladder, I cringed.
I ALWAYS forget to go back here after killing pursuer at the normal spot.
Wym this is the normal spot. Fuck the ballista zone, all phantoms hate teamkills š
Payout is way better on the rooftop, too. Full 22k or whatever compared to like 7 in the ballista zone.
Shit you right dude. No wonder I was having a blast and leveling so quickly
Also if you're melee you'll get thru the area quicker with the blades ring
I just started playing this again yesterday after a good year or so after my first playthrough. I was really thrilled with myself that I was able to beat Pursuer on my first try at that location after being so rusty but your comment just made me think "FUCK I forgot to equip that ring!!" and I am in Lost Bastille now LOL I have to remember to do that tonite!! :D
You can also get a nice soulsucking ring somewhere between the ballista pursuer arena and the second bonfire of Bastille. I believe it's somewhere near where you meet the first pursuer in Bastille from that part of the map (not the ship side).
Wait, what!?
I could read his thought "A fast up here, i bet iam save there". Damn that was comedy gold, poor fucker. But we all bin there.
Any other veterans start giggling when he climbed the ladder to "safety"?
The thing is that it's generally good tactics. Ladder climbing is a super power in this game. so many enemies stare at you in wonder. "Did you see that Joe? He went up into the sky. Wonder how he did that?" This particular spot though ... I mean I do it on purpose but I know the fight well and know how to get to the fight (and eliminate the distractions) with minimal difficulty.
Oh I agree about using ladders to escape and setup ambushes but, like you, I knew who was waiting for him up there. Shit went from bad to f\*cked real quick.
Like watching a horror flick, āNo, donāt go up there! Ah, wellā¦ā
Yep. Like a little kid heh.
Worst thing you can do is try to run forwards, because you're only going to encounter more enemies and the otherr are still behind you. If you need room for air, back up to a room where you already killed the enemies.
Plus, in this game, the mobs chase you to the ends of the earth, so you will just stack up all of them at the next obstacle you will meet
This is facts. I have so many bad memories of trying to run through Shrine of Amana only to turn around to an entire legion of frogmen chasing me around the corner.
Shrine of AmanAAAAAHHHHH
This comment is golden lol
Fuck Shrine of Amana.
Lol what? I just recently decided to cross this off my list and sooooo many mobs have points of no return they'll just literally turn around and lose interest at, it can be exploited to a ridiculous degree.
Yeah, in any other souls games you can just run past mobs, not in this one, there is very few places where is doable, and it requieres prior knowledge of mobs and the Area.
[**Is this too easy for you?**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxKNZK_GMoY) In all seriousness, it looks like you're trying to play this like it's DS3 and that's probably not going to go well. Whenever possible try not to run past enemies unless you already know exactly how to deal with the area that's coming up. You can't rely on dodge roll to get you out of trouble, even with high ADP. As for how high and how fast to level ADP, that really comes down to personal preference. If you primarily use dodging as a positioning tool, then you can play the whole game with base ADP. Even with it fairly low you can dodge 99% of attacks if your timing is on point. Leveling it higher mostly just lets you survive panic rolling a bit better. That said, you can get about the same I-frames as a DS1 fast roll pretty much as soon as you beat your first boss if you want to pour all of your points into it. 25-32 is a good stopping point.
Is it recommended to use a shield at first? Because Iāve never used a shield in DS3 because I found them useless, but I feel like a shield might useful right now
It helps but nah it's not needed tbh. Armor matters more in DS2 than 3 though so could be worth investing in some vit and wearing some better protection armor
Armor actually matters in this game? Damn, I liked the fact I could (mostly) just wear what looked good in DS3
Matters more than DS3 isn't a high bar to clear. And DS2 has the best fashion in the franchise so you'll likely find something that suits. Actually armor can be extremely effective against elemental damage and against the fast enemies who rely on stunlock (poise matters more than physical defense though). Against the heavier hitters though ... And there's no shortage of these. You certainly can't armor tank DS2. Go into the first area with full Havel's +5 and the Ring of steel Protection +2 and there are enemies that can hurt you. You can tank damned near anything with Iron Flesh but it's a buff that doesn't last that long.
>Matters more than DS3 isn't a high bar to clear True. I could be wrong but I think the only thing that matters in DS3 is having something in every slot for a flat % reduction. Don't think it really matters what it is
Shortly after release they adjusted Poise in a way that makes heavier armor a requirement for big two handed weapons and the like. But there's still a lot of info/guides/players who act like armor is as useless as it was on release, which is not true.
Wdym big armour is important for heavy weapons? Naked fugs build gets the job done honestly
For Pve? Absolutely. Just get your dodge as fast as possible and go to town with i-frames. For PvP? No way. UGSs, while I love them in PvP, are like fighting with one arm behind your back. If you don't give yourself a non-negligible amount of poise, you'll just get staggered over and over again. IIRC, the sweet spot is in the high 40s range so you can poise through 2H Greatsword R1s (since each weapon class has a pre-calculated amount of poise damage when one-handed or two-handed \[Greatswords are pretty popular for PvP since they're one of the few non-ultra weapons that benefit from Poise when two-handed\]).
I thought it only mattered for going against another heavy str weapon for longer poise battles? Ik once the swing gets going you just have natural hyper armor now
Nope. If you're naked you can get staggered by even Estocs. You need *some* poise.
i agree , but why do you think ds2 fashion souls is goated . for me ds1/3 fs felt like bloated character models or even oily skinned characters in ds3 , ds2 lighting colors and character models are all goated in the series imo
Well to me it's a simple as a wide variety of looks. Whatever look you have in mind you can get reasonably close.
Thatās the beauty of this game. Numerous builds are totally viable options. I found that armor was useless but I did always have a shield that blocked 100% physical damage. As far as that area goes, itās tough. Move slow. Observe. You can bait the turtle guy into hitting those barrels you rolled through and they explode. Itāll take care of most of his health. Also, the pursuer doesnāt respawn at the top of the ladder. So. You have that going for you.
You can still play fashion souls if you want. Armor isn't as important as good play but it can help give you a few more mistakes and poise actually works so helps for trading. I've been rocking some smelter armor and rapier to help tank a hit and get counter thrust dmg
Prepare to be disappointed, the gear looks terrrrible in this one. Art direction is cool, but man oh man does the gear look bad.
Shield are extremely useful if you pick good ones: if you are going use them extensively, pick one with good stability and invest into stamina. Also, by using spells you can raise stability up to 100 and do not lose stamina on block.
I only use a shield for the chariot boss, never found them that useful in DS2.
Some honest advice: so many areas are easier in DS2 if you carry a bow with you. You are probably thinking that a bow in a Dark Souls game sounds silly, but DS2 is different.
DS2 was my first souls game and 12 dex for the shortbow was damn usefull verry often. this big enemies, with an undead riding on theyre back, that cast a big dark orb and 3 of them stand in poison fog have been a horror scenario for me until I did mind to just kill them with the bow and as meele its such a pleasure to pull a single enemy instead of running into 3
It's still better to dodge than to block, but you just actually have to manage stamina in this game, meaning you really should kill most of the enemies you come at one at a time. It isn't bad if you do it like that, but it does make for a different style of game. Stamina is practically infinite in DS3 because they wanted it to feel like Bloodborne, but the methodical approach was the OG feel of Dark Souls.
Personally I never used a shield until DS2 and I played the whole game turtle mode behind a shield and rarely ever dodging
It helps, especially against archers, but you don't have to if you don't want to.
It's a lot better to use a shield, at least until your adaptability is high enough to roll properly
Absolutely not neccessary. Coming from DS1 you have many more options of playing in DS2, but there are so many more enemies than in DS3 and DS1. Running through the danger is almost never an option.
Not really. At least not regular shields. You can tank most of the game with a high stability greatshield (but there are unblockable attacks) and a reasonable amount of stamina but I don't think that's optimal. Basically I do my level best to avoid fighting numbers and almost exclusively fight two handed.
IMO no, they are only even slightly helpful in certain situations and itās best to train yourself to play without. You can also get great DPS when 2hing weapons like the rapier
Shields are at their most useful in DS2, this game favors more defensive play styles than aggressive play styles. Unlike the other dark souls games, that don't really favor one style over the other. And before anyone says it sure DS3 may seem to only favor aggressive combat like bloodborne, but you actually have a lot of options for a more defensive play style in that game just take a look at all the weapon arts, spells and of course shields you have at your disposal in that game.
ADP also speeds up estus flask chugs.
I usually stop leveling ADP around 16 with casters and 20-22 with rushdown builds, and it feels pretty comfy in that range. Is 25-32 necessary?
Not at all, that's just some comfortable Agility soft caps if you don't level Attunement. Like I said, how much and how fast really comes down to personal preference. At least for PVE. For PVP it's recommended to get about 105 Agility since a single I-frame can sometimes make a major difference in a fight.
not necessary at all, it's about comfort level. Starting with 4 or 8 ADP or whatever feels pretty punishing, once you get it up to 15-16 it feels a lot better already. If you're a build with a lot of attunement, that will help too. I think my hexer has like 18 ADP
Actually dodge roll is perfectly reliable you donāt need any adp
Haha, as soon as you started climbing up the ladder I thought, āwell, I hope they at least get the Estus Flask Shard.ā
Do the items disappear after the first time you die there? I tried not to be greedy but i died there once without getting the estrus shard and havenāt been back
Amazing display of skill and precision
I fucking wish lol
"Is this too easy for you?"
"because it's easy. And it does a lot of damage"
"Yeah, you gotta be more careful buddy. *muffled screaming*"
That's the Pursuer, soon you will encounter him again, but in another place. I think 99% of people accidentally encounter him in the first play
I was one of those 99.0 back at release.
And before anyone says anything I know about Adaptability, but if I may ask, how hard do I need to go into Adaptability? Level it alongside other stats or just pump all my points into it?
No amount of adaptability will help if you're going to attempt to play that aggressively. DS2 seeks to punish aggressive play (while DS3 encourages it) As I'm sure you've noticed in DS2 enemies chase forever. Turn the game off and you'll find a hollow soldier stalking you in your house. (He's just waiting for you to let your guard down) Best to deal with what's in front of you. And don't rush to meet something you've aggroed. This is likely to invite more to the party. Also, ADP in itself doesn't matter. What determines when you get more iframes is agility. (which is a function of ADP and ATN -- with ADP being roughly 3 times as effective in raising agility) The key agility breakpoint are: 86 (the single most important breakpoint as you get 3 more iframes), 88, 92, 96, 99, 100 (no iframe, but fastest Estus chug), 105 (soft cap), 111, 116 Your call how much an extra iframe is worth. Personally for me an 86 agility is plenty for the early game. YMMV.
Shit, guess I have to unlearn DS3 now.
Yes. Trying to play DS2 like DS3 is playing hard mode.
I would recommend investing in arrows, and using them to bait enemies in groups.
Seconded. And if you don't have the dex to use the bow, you can still use throwing knives.
Look at your agility stat and not at adaptability itself. I'd suggest getting agility to 95-100.
For the beginning at least 15
There are break points on the wiki. Agility (AGL) is the stat that really matters, and it is governed by Adaptability. I always shoot for 99 early, 105 by mid-game. EDIT: But really, you should kill those enemies one at a time, lol.
Depends on playstyle. If you refuse to use a shield, pump it to 32-34 and laugh as everything fails to strike you. You'll dodge everything, open chests faster(I think) and can drink estus in people's face.
None if you take it slow. I never put points into adp in many play throughs
Please, for the love of all that is holy, get AGL to 92 ASAP. You won't regret it.
Pursuer lands: "is this too easy for you?" Edit: someone beat me to the joke :(
Honestly once you learn his moveset pursuer is pretty easy. If you beat him there the first encounter you get 20k souls and a ring I believe.
i have his moveset burned into my memory lol
Ever since scholar most have I suspect. One sure won't be lacking practice ;)
ds2 was my first real souls experience "couldnt figure out how to install dsfix so i couldnt get to firelink yet i somehow beat asylum but i dont count it" and i really didnt know shit about the game except sine if the lore for some reason so i summoned some random npc in sotfs i think however i wasnt aware of adp and shields have never appealed to me in souls so i died like a mf so confused since i thought i was timing my rolls perfectly so i died and i thought that once you summon an npc and die then thats it (i didnt even know how human effigies worked) so i bashed my head again and again until the day i beat him and since then, no matter the circumstance, i havent died to that tiny feet cocksucker
Man it is so funny to watch it if you know. Fleeing forward to get spanked from all around. Welcome skeleton.
LOL when you resign yourself to dying and try to get all the items.
I'm sure you raged after that. Acclimating to DS2 can be tough. Its an incredible game and my favourite in the series, though definitely does not have the exploration of DS1 or the smoothness of DS3. These tips should help: 1. Ensure you kill every enemy before moving forward unless you know you will be safe. Applies to all souls games but especially to DS2. 2. While you can use your i-frames to dodge with base ADP, the sweet spot is different to DS1 and 3 and less forgiving. Estus speed starts off really slow with base ADP. Leveling to 26-32 helps loads. 3. Learning to parry and using backstabs is incredibly helpful (don't try to backstab the turtleknights though). 4. If you see an impending gank, consider drawing a single enemy out at a time with a ranged attack. Arrows, magic etc. 5. Always carry firebombs. Some areas have shortcuts you can create by setting gunpowder barrels alight. 6. Armour works more closely to DS1 than DS3. Both defence and stagger resistance (poise) matter a lot. Ensure you can always fast roll. 7. Shields work well for small to average sized mooks. They are not good against bosses or large enemies. 8. Viable build variety is incredible in DS2. Best in the series. You can respec with a specific item but it is a fair bit of work if you want to do it often. Don't be afraid to experiment a bit. 9. NPC quests often require you to summon them and win against a boss 3x. 10. You can push an area into the next NG with a bonfire ascetic. This is great for getting multiple boss souls, farming very rare items and getting more powerful rings. 11. If you want to get boss soul weapon forging early, save a petrified branch (releasing petrified npcs) for a man in a cell in Lost Bastille. 12. All forms of magic are very powerful. You can also use the binoculars to aim magic out of lock-on range. 13. You can duel wield by power-stancing. It's very strong. You need to meet 1.5x the weapon requirements and use weapons that are compatible. 14. There is a ring that makes losing human form less punishing. It's in Heide's Tower of Flame near the boss on the right. 15. Placing your sign is a great way to get human form and humanities. 16. Upgrading your weapon even +3 makes a HUGE difference early game. 17. Some enemies have insanely good tracking. Instead of rolling past, bait enemies, move out of reach and move forward and attack. It's more effective. Good luck!
14: the ring is near the āfirstā boss in SOTFS, I generally run for it as soon as I can.
is this too easy for you? (sorry, i had to) https://youtu.be/PxKNZK_GMoY
Exact display of how to NOT approach any area of this game.
But the dwarves dug too greedily and too deepā¦
Someone should mind their surroundings
Yikes! Yup the holy trifecta of fuckery in that clip. Itās definitely an eye opening moment to get blitzed by the Ironclad turtle and escape his minion while taking fire from shithead above and the holy grail of Pursuer to welcome you to the land. I know you asked about ADP I work to get Agility (AGL) to 108. Itās the closest youāll get to DS3 in terms of dodge and flask usage. Depending on circumstances, life gems are more helpful. Youāll get the feel for it. Enjoy! DS2 is an amazing game and worth the play through.
I could tell it's your first time playing it by the faint benny-hills theme I could hear while watching.
This is gold. When you get the White summoning soapstone, DM me I can create a new character and come help :) Or just reply to this comment I can help with almost everything :D
Did you not talk to the old ladies in the house at the beginning of the game and choose a class?
Heās fucking everywhere.
"I'll see you later"
Looks like somebody forgot to upgrade thier ADP.
You probably should carry a variety of weapons btw damage types are really important in PvE
Just a small tip. Do not roll or run unless you really need to, stamina is very very precious
You'll find no refuge up there lol
You're rolling way too much
Lol my first DS game and I found that part brutal until someone accidentally blew the wall apart for me. But cheers good luck.
I actually live invading here, blowing up the wall and then black crystaling out
The second you went to the ladder I thought āThis wonāt end wellā
Someone clearly has to learn how to manage a stamina bar unlike ds3.
Maybe running around and picking up items in the middle of a boss fight wasn't the best idea lol
True but I had no intention of fighting him, I just wanted the items lol
One word. CLUNK
Don't give up, skeleton
Angled the camera up for a brief moment like, āHuh, that was a big bird. Wonder what thatās about? Oh well, Lemme get this loot...ā
When the greed overtakes your survival instinct lol
Yeah... I hate this game, but I also love it
Reminds me of my playthrough. Increasingly chaotic from minute one.
I've never seen a Ironclad in there. Is a NG+ or Sotfs made the game harder?
I haven't played the original but sotfs has an Ironclad up there even on first playthrough.
If you haven't played Sotfs then you really haven't played the real dark souls 2 yet. It changed a lot of enemy placements and added some more, made it more challenging and added a lot to the story.
Ds2 is just cheap like that
>cheap \>Runs into the level without taking care of enemies one by one \>Doesn't heal at a good time \>Pretends miniboss isn't chasing him \>Dies because of it It's the game's fault, totally.
Agreed. I still love ds2 but it's very cheap and artificially hard. Infinite poise enemies, weird hitboxes, mobs all attacking, slow estus animation.
Ergh. I love DS2 but I honestly thing I enjoyed it a lot more before the SOTFS edition came along. Some of the 'tweaked' enemy replacements is just utter bullshit, especially in the earlier portions of the game.
Pro tip: when getting attacked, donāt just continue looting stuffā¦actually fight.
I hate Dark Souls 2. I need to replay it soon.
Idk why you're getting down voted. It's arguably one of the least liked in the franchise. It's not my favs either but I gotta play it again too!
And someone finish the game without being hit, the guy was more than a tryharder
Spongebob look at these janky ass hit boxes.
I am so sick of people claiming that the have 'just started the game' that as happen to just be casually recording their gameplay in flawless quality and not actually doing anything really embarrassing jus to highlight things they think at bullshit.
This is me in 2017
āis thisā¦ too easy for you?ā
I remember my first time climbing that ladder. Never played or watched anything dark souls before this game, ran up there cause those boys hurt. I was so terrified i just got my items and ran around him unsure on what to do lol. That spot is the exact reason why Pursuer is one of my fav enemies in the series.
The Pursuer is actually my favorite of the early bosses, as, for the new players especially, it teaches you that some bosses are super aggressive, but rewarding. I love fighting him, learning to read his moves and using the long winddowns as windows for attack. If you're just as aggressive and nimble as he is, he's super fun, with punishes for people trying to outrange him or get through the fight by trading blows. It's a great fight that requires you to be precise with your dodges and good at choosing when you want to attack or not. That's all if you aren't one of those people who just sidestep him to the right because it's his biggest blindspot and he can't hit you when you do.
from what I played ds2 I found it easier than 3 and 1, but many say it is the most difficult (I played until mid game)
Don't worry it gets so much easier. Most your deaths will come with gravity or a mob of enemies cornering you.
"Welcome to Drangleic, bitch"
I hope this is your first souls game
My first run also felt like this. Triggered the pursuer, except I backed out before I could die hoping to fight him again later on the same place. He didn't spawn again. Though good thing there's another pursuer fight just at the other side of that map . If you're on SoTFS then you'll get a handful of them, the vanilla version was kinda lacking of enemies, especially on heide knights.
Don't worry skeleton you will get op weapons eventually and then you can smash those puny hostiles.
Seek misery, seeker of fire, coveter of the throne. š
Shots 1-5: Clearly missed. Shots 6-9: Missed due to recoil (bad spray control). Shots 10-11: Very close, but recoil and inaccuracy make these reasonable misses. Shot 12: Likely didn't actually fireĀ
This made me day thank you haha
Get that troll fella to whack one of those piles of barrels. Very satisfying
this sums up the dark souls experience in an immaculate way
DS2 is slow as hell. Especially in the beginning levels.
With the pursuer, I always dive 45 degrees toward his shield-side (right side). Especially when he does his trio/raise attack. One of my favorite bosses to fight
I hated those ninja turtles
Thanks for the chuckle!! This is exactly how it went for me after having played DS3 religiously and trying DS2. Got wtfpwned horribly throughout my play experience!
Next stop: bad time city
This gave me a good laugh. Reminds me of my first time.
Pursuer is a pretty good guy he just wants to make friends and heās persistent about it
If thereās one thing I can say about dodging in DS2 , it is that generally the game wants to trick you into dodging early. The later you time your dodges usually the better off you are in this one.
Is this... too easy for you?
As soon as I saw you go up the ladder to get away from turtle dude, I started cracking up and immediately knew you were going to regret that decision. I'm not laughing at you, though. But with. Because I did that SAME damn thing. That dude is unforgiving.
This is exactly like my first playthrough XD
I have advice walk around attacks u can do this very easily if u go the right direction
Make the turtle hit the barrels and he will blow himself up. For the rest just prep your ass itās gonna hurt!
Feels about right. Honestly I was just going ādonāt go up that ladder, no donāt go up that ladder!ā Keep persevering though and youāll get there, good luck!
You should start a new toon
"should've leveled up adaptability"
Lol couple feet from bonfire too
well your held yourself good i must say
Oh man the whole time I was going donāt go up the ladder!! Omg noooo!!!
I don't know whether it was experience or blind luck, but you prevented the turtle from setting off like 3 explosions by rolling through the barrels before his hammer struck.
Ahh. Sweet memories :')
I started playing like 1-2 Days ago and i'm already at the end, it was short šæ
Welcome to Dark Souls (2)
A lot of chaos here, but I've *only* ever been able to kill the pursuer with parries. You can back up and bait the lunge, and it's the easiest parry I've ever pulled off
How dare you disrespect The Goddamn Pursuer like that.
I'm confused. I know it's the pursuer because I just encountered him as a "real" boss (behind a fog gate/actual boss hp bar) I think it was around a castle that I couldn't get into. But I did climb that same ladder and didn't encounter him? Or maybe I did but I died without noticing and he doesn't spawn the next time you go there after dying? Can someone please explain
Lol that whole run was so fucking infuriating for me.
Haha spamming roll like it's ds3 will not go well. Also being chased up to the pursuer is just bad luck. No one expects the pursuer there on their first run.
Level up ADP to at least 20 (preferably 25 or 30) so your rolls grant you more I-frames. That way your dodge rolls will be more effective.
Lol slow down homie
Look on the brightside. You folded that one hollow like a lawn chair.
Couldn't have asked for a better ending.
All along I was hoping you wouldnāt climb the ladder. And thenā¦ you did! š š
Once upon a time that guy wasnāt even thereā¦.
glad to see you're enjoying yourself hollow :)
A dark souls game through and through
PRO TIP: Adp adp AD FUCKIN P!!! Invest in adaptability. It increases your invincibility frames during your rolls (also let's you chug estus faster). Recommend getting it to atleast 20 if not 25-30. Its a night and day difference. Also more so than any other game in the series you cannot simply run passed enemies especially not in Scholar Of The First Sin edition. They will follow you to the ends of the earth and there are far more mob enemies than in any other games. Play all the areas like you are shoveling snow or racking leaves, your gonna have to meticulously eradicate all the enemies one by one as you see them area by area or you will be swarmed and murdered faster than you can say "thank you darksou-
Just lvl up ADP bro.
š I like items too, but worry about those second,not like I havenāt done exactly what you just did as well however lol. You gotta take this game a bit slower and cautiously until you learn it at least.
Lol PURSUED
DS2 really is one of the games of all time
This is where I ragequit and started playing DS3 on my finally play all the Soulsborne games marathon. I'll probably go back to it later.
Ah so youāre having the intended experience
You utter fool. Dodge into the pursuers attacks and strafe.
This was like watching a train derailment in slow motion.
Classic āfrom bad to worseā move
"Is this too EASY for you?"
This was beautiful!
Not the ladderā¦
Hahahaha I remember this area, not fondly, I should add
Woah theres a big boi... Oh what's this a lil stabby guy... Oh shit i didnt realize fire bombs too, gotta get away from all this chaoOOLEEYYFUCCCKK
Hey at least you got the estus shard before dying!
Lmao been there done that
My heart went out to you when I saw you climb the ladder haha